Hansard

I, too, thank the clerks to the Education, Children and Young People Committee for the power of work that they have put into the Education (Scotland) Bill to date and I thank all the people who were involved in our evidence sessions.

As has been stated, there have been significant changes to the membership of the committee during the inquiry period. As the cabinet secretary did—and because it is the season of good will—I pay tribute to all the members who have been involved in the process, especially my Scottish Conservative colleagues Liam Kerr and the former committee convener, Sue Webber, for their positive contributions to the work of the committee over this parliamentary session.

I also thank all the external organisations in the wider educational sector for their helpful briefings and their contribution to the debate so far.

As has been mentioned, the Education (Scotland) Bill will replace the SQA with a new body, qualifications Scotland, and transfer inspection duties to a new office, His Majesty’s chief inspector of education in Scotland.

It is important that we remember why we are here today with this bill in its current form. In 2020, the introduction of the reformed examination system was criticised after a series of administrative and computer errors led to several thousand incorrect higher and intermediate certificates being sent out to candidates. In 2021, the Scottish Government announced that it would scrap the SQA after the body was condemned for the exam results fiasco during the Covid-19 pandemic. If we fast forward to today, there is cross-party agreement that we need change and reform in order to re-establish confidence in the qualifications and inspection structures and organisations in Scotland.

I believe that the committee report is a helpful guide for ministers now to significantly strengthen the bill and I look forward to the discussions that the cabinet secretary and I will have in the new year around the stage 2 amendments that Scottish Conservatives want to see.

As Douglas Ross, the new, neutral education committee convener stated, the committee’s report seeks guarantees around oversight of qualifications Scotland—in particular, that teachers, students and families

“will be able to share their views in an appropriate way to develop public faith in the body”.

He also said that the newly independent inspectorate will be

“able to challenge Scottish Ministers and education authorities”.

Perhaps most limited in detail at present is how the inspectorate will be

“responsible for scrutinising national bodies including Qualifications Scotland and Education Scotland.”

I know that the former teacher in the cabinet secretary will, rightly, always insist that members do their homework by reading the conclusions of the committee report, and those conclusions will not have escaped the cabinet secretary. The report reflects widespread “frustration” about the “slow pace” of educational reform, and I hope that the cabinet secretary has taken that on board.

It is still not clear where genuine reform will take place and what vision the Government has for Education Scotland. I believe that, in its current form, the bill is a missed opportunity to reform that organisation. Although not part of the bill’s provisions, the Scottish Government has stated that Education Scotland will no longer be replaced but will be “refocused” in order to

“lead curriculum design, delivery and improvement”,

although we have not yet seen any detail of what that looks like.

In the time that I have today, I will touch on a number of areas where Scottish Conservatives want to see significant progress at stage 2.

Good leadership and accountability are absolutely key, and ministers must get this right if we are to build the trust of teachers, parents and carers and, most important, pupils and candidates who are sitting exams. As with all successful boards, diversity of representation on the qualifications Scotland board is critical and needs to be right, in order to provide the voices, skills and experiences that are needed to guide the organisation. I believe that the committee recommendations, if taken forward, will help to achieve that.

I also note a number of other concerns, specifically in relation to the status of British Sign Language in the bill and in the Scottish Languages Bill that is currently making its way through Parliament. I welcome the Scottish Government’s response to the committee’s report and I hope that ministers will support the committee’s recommendation that

“BSL should have parity of esteem with Gaelic throughout the Bill.”

Only that approach will guarantee that the rights of deaf children and young people are upheld. I hope that we will see those amendments lodged at stage 2.

I also note the concerns that were raised by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland in relation to child protection and the potential inspection gap around child protection and safeguarding in schools. I hope that the minister will clarify that issue in her closing speech.

I believe that the bill presents an opportunity for the emerging organisations to be more accountable to Parliament. In recent weeks, it has become apparent that we need a greater scrutiny role, and I hope that ministers will agree to significantly strengthen that in the bill.

Finally, the area that we on the Conservative benches want to see taken forward is the reform of Education Scotland. The bill is a missed opportunity to reduce bureaucracy in the classroom; for example, in relation to all teachers being asked for evidence when requesting extra time for candidates, or in relation to ideas—which teachers have been talking about for a long time—to reduce the workload by providing support for teachers and curriculum for excellence resources in the classroom, which have not been taken forward by Education Scotland.

The future of Education Scotland is important, and I hope that ministers will urgently outline their vision and the details to Parliament so that we can all contribute to what it will look like.

The Scottish Government must ensure the strong accountability of the new bodies and a more coherent vision for education reform in Scotland. It is clear that ministers plan a very tight timetable for the establishment of those new bodies and functions. Although that is understandable, it will present challenges and there is the potential for failure.

The Scottish Conservatives will support the general principles of the bill at decision time, but we do so with the qualification that we need to see significant changes to the bill at stages 2 and 3.

The SQA’s reputation has been damaged in recent years, with the recent controversy over higher history marking just the latest concern to undermine confidence in the organisation. However, ministers must also take responsibility, having dithered over delivering reforms in recent years. What ministers are currently proposing in the bill feels like little more than a cosmetic name change. Parliament has an opportunity to build a much stronger bill.

If the Scottish Government is serious about restoring Scotland’s once world-leading education reputation, it must change its current approach and produce meaningful plans to deliver the change that our education system so desperately needs. If ministers are bold and imaginative in delivering a more accountable and transparent vision—one that can help to build a qualifications organisation and an inspection system that deliver for pupils, teachers, parents and carers—they will have our support.

I look forward to stages 2 and 3.